An immigrant child sex gang has been blasted by a judge for failing to respect their adopted country by abusing a string of young girls in Peterborough - and failing to learn English.

Judge John Bevan QC told the court that despite the gang members living legally in the UK for between five and 12 years, taxpayers will have to foot a £40,000 bill for interpreters following the trial.

Social worker Estelle Thain told ITV News that she became increasingly concerned about one of the Peterborough victims when she became "too frightened" to speak about her experiences.

"It got to the point where we had to place her in foster care to move her away from Peterborough," she said, "which was where she was putting herself at risk."

"She had been moved a couple of months to foster placement, which was a long way from Peterborough, before she got to a point where she got comfortable to disclose some of the things that had been happening to her."